Belgian Prince’s Secret Son Officially Recognized via DNA Test — 5ch Asks: ‘Does He Have a Claim to the Throne?’

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A 26-year-old man who worked as a car salesman in Belgium has been legally recognized, through DNA testing, as the biological son of Prince Laurent (the King’s younger brother), and has now become an official member of the royal family. Reports say he was granted the same inheritance rights as the children born to the Prince and his wife, sparking chatter on 5ch — from “Why doesn’t Japan’s Imperial family do DNA testing?” to questions about whether a child born out of wedlock can actually hold a claim to the throne.

(CNN) — Clément Vandenkerckhove, a man who worked as a car salesman in Belgium, has become a prince at age 26. He has been recognized as the son of Prince Laurent, the King’s younger brother.

[Photo] Prince Laurent and Wendy Van Wanten back in the 1990s

Vandenkerckhove’s mother is a Belgian singer who was in a relationship with Prince Laurent in the 1990s. She reportedly revealed who his father was for the first time ten years ago, when he turned 16.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

6Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:44:14.75ID:Up+6zqtN0
Guess I'm heading to Belgium real quick!
8Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:45:55.03ID:YHYM/TRB0
>>6
Getting adopted into a Japanese family still sounds more likely
16Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:49:25.02ID:vTWCeHBt0
>>8
That only applies to the former imperial branch families
9Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:46:00.31ID:cN03mIDU0
Actually, I'm secretly a prince of some country too
60Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 19:05:51.83ID:p9XB/olc0
>>9
Prince of Monkey Park?
156Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 20:43:27.08ID:VsLvUmAM0
>>9
What a coincidence
I'm the prince of the Pallas's Cat Kingdom myself
18Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:50:20.93ID:jEUQZGXD0
> Son of Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten

Having the surname "Van" means she was originally nobility, huh
79Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 19:16:31.09ID:Z2UeAQ5h0
>>18
Apparently in French, "Van" doesn't really carry weight as a noble title — even commoners use it
Kind of like how in Japan people just take their hometown's place name as a surname
31Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:52:59.32ID:wJS0GZ8k0
They should just make gene testing and registration mandatory for everyone in Japan and rank us all by closeness to the Imperial family
While they're at it, use it for police investigations too — safe and secure
33Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:53:39.10ID:3tBYqlvQ0
So basically a secret love child from an affair???
55Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 19:03:50.44ID:/HpdTAGh0
Since it says the King, his father, opposed the relationship, that means Prince Laurent and Wendy's romance wasn't exactly hidden
>>33
He married the Princess 23 years ago in 2003, and this guy is 26 — so he was born out of wedlock back when the Prince was still single
85Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 19:20:33.88ID:3tBYqlvQ0
>>55
Thanks. You sure know a lot about this (lol)
50Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 19:00:03.84ID:x+3uKbhx0
Meanwhile in Japan, it's just "let's trust each other" and no DNA test happens.
53Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 19:02:58.25ID:YHYM/TRB0
>>50
I think that's fine, honestly
That's just how bloodlines work, isn't it
Unless it's some kind of fraud case, that is
194Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 23:07:33.11ID:7TcQCWEJ0
>>50
Having trouble parsing long Japanese sentences?

Clément Vandenkerckhove got the DNA test because he's an illegitimate child
Prince Laurent's legitimate children haven't had any DNA testing done
59Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 19:05:43.07ID:l+LkB5gm0
>>53
Can you say the same thing about your own parents and grandparents?
93Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 19:25:07.55ID:s/UBg5PI0
There might well be families in Japan too where the son sells sandals for a living, but his mother tells him, "You're the great-great-grandson of Emperor Kōmei. Don't let your heart become a sandal seller's too."
109Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 19:34:21.07ID:iU3TmB9+0
>>93
Male-line descendants of the Minamoto, Taira, and Tachibana clans can trace their lineage back to the Imperial line
However, since they've already left the Imperial family and become commoners, they have no succession rights
94Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 19:25:16.38ID:0stBU1la0
Kids who get to inherit from Laurent:

Louise
Nicolas
Aymeric
The car salesman New‼
140Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 19:56:57.64ID:iG0OmVgn0
>>94
Probably more than an average commoner, but between diverting navy funds and showing up to a party at the Chinese embassy without government permission, he seems short on cash
His conduct was so worrying that his granduncle, two kings back, even came out in favor of female-line succession so his older sister could take the throne instead
She ended up marrying and having kids earlier than her brother, the current king, so succession wasn't even an issue for her
151Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 20:13:33.21ID:S/HMsLk00
Being legally recognized doesn't make him a prince, does it? Does he actually have a claim to the throne?
162Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 21:02:11.10ID:m8O/B60J0
>>151
In Christian countries, children born out of wedlock have no succession rights

*This article is an excerpt and summary from the 5ch (Newsplus) thread “[Royal Family] Belgian car salesman becomes a prince at 26 — DNA test reveals royal bloodline, granted the same inheritance rights as the children born to the Prince and his wife.”

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